Indianapolis Colts

Player News - Colts

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports the Colts will likely place C Ryan Kelly (foot surgery) on injured reserve with the intent to designate him as one of their return players.

The center will have surgery to repair a "bone defect" on Friday. The recovery timeline was originally given as 6-8 weeks, but putting Kelly on injured reserve would force him to sit out until at least Week 9. With Kelly looking likely to miss half the season, the Colts will almost certainly attempt to bring in outside help. They met with Jeremy Zuttah this week.

Schefter reports Kelly will have a "bone defect" in his foot repaired on Friday. The timeline puts him out until at least October. The linchpin of an improving offensive line, this is a massive blow to a Colts' offense which might also have to start the season without Andrew Luck. Indy will likely look to bring in some outside help.

Colts OC Rob Chudzinski said the team will have to alter the playbook if Scott Tolzien is forced to start.

"We'll make those adjustments if that's the case down the road," Chudzinski said. "Every week we tailor it some to the opponent, some to who may be playing, skill-wise, O-line-wise, quarterback-wise and all those type of things all go into it." In Tolzien's one start last season, the Colts focused much more on the short passing game, with 16 of his 22 completions going for 10 yards or less. T.Y. Hilton managed just three catches for 54 yards in that game and has seen his averages go down across the board when playing without Andrew Luck. It looks like Luck will miss at most a couple games if any, but it is still a short-term concern for Indy's pass catchers.

The team hoped to deal with the injury through rest, but Kelly apparently was not improving. Coach Chuck Pagano said the center will miss part of the regular season but declined to offer a timetable. With very little behind Kelly on the depth chart -- Brian Schwenke (foot) remains on the PUP -- the Colts likely will look to bring someone in. They met with Jeremy Zuttah this week, but he looks set to return to the Ravens. Free agent Nick Mangold could be an option.

Colts first-round FS Malik Hooker has missed the last week of practice with a shoulder injury.

Hooker has spent more time injured than healthy since being drafted by the Colts, recovering from shoulder and sports hernia surgeries during the offseason program and opening camp on the PUP with a hamstring issue. It is unclear if this shoulder injury has anything to do with the offseason surgery. The Colts need Hooker to contribute right away, but that will be tough after all this missed time.

Dorsett has missed time with a pair of hamstring injuries and wasn't available for the preseason opener. He expects to play this week. Dorsett is competing with Kamar Aiken and Chester Rogers for the No. 3 receiver gig.

A towering 6-foot-3, Green has the speed and athleticism to man corner, but is a converted receiver, not converted corner. It's a new position for him, a difficult thing to learn at the NFL level. The No. 57 overall pick of last year's draft, Green was a rookie disaster at safety.

Wilson has been penciled in opposite Vontae Davis, but beat writer Mike Wells doesn't consider it a given. Wilson entered the Colts' preseason opener after Hairston, and promptly struggled. Known as a gambler, Wilson got roasted for a touchdown against the Lions after taking a bad angle.

It's why Swoope sat out the Colts' preseason opener. Swoope is expected to play a bigger role as a sub-package tight end this year, but the missed time will set him back, and he is questionable to be ready for Week 1. Jack Doyle remains locked in as the Colts' every-down tight end.

Irsay still sounded optimistic overall, acknowledging he couldn't "unequivocally say" Luck will be ready for Week 1 but promising Luck will be back "around" the start of the season. Colts beat writers have hinted that even if Luck misses Week 1 against the Rams, he could return for Week 2 against the Cardinals. The Colts may view the Rams as beatable with Scott Tolzien under center. Irsay also confirmed Sunday that Luck has indeed resumed throwing.

Jack Doyle secured one-of-two targets for four yards Sunday in the Colts’ preseason loss to the Lions.

Doyle played just 11 snaps, drawing both of his targets from Scott Tolzien on the Colts’ opening drive. He was also flagged for offensive pass interference, though the Lions declined it because the pass was incomplete. Doyle carries sleeper appeal, but as with all Colts’ pass-catchers, his productivity hinges greatly on the health of Andrew Luck, who has been slow to recover from offseason shoulder surgery.

Robert Turbin handled five carries for six yards Sunday in the Colts’ preseason loss to the Lions.

Turbin didn’t show much in his three series, managing a long gain of just six yards. He drew the start with veteran Frank Gore getting the afternoon off. Gore out-touched Turbin by an overwhelming 301-73 margin last season, though both finished with eight touchdowns. With Gore getting up there in age, we’d expect a more even carry distribution in 2017.

Troymaine Pope broke free for 31 yards and a touchdown on seven carries while adding one catch for 25 yards Sunday in the Colts’ preseason loss to the Lions.

He was second in line for carries behind starter Robert Turbin, though it’s worth noting that Frank Gore and rookie Marlon Mack were both inactive for the Colts. Pope exploded for 25 yards on a short screen pass from Phillip Walker and added to his tally by scrambling for a 16-yard gain in the third quarter. He also broke loose for a 54-yard gain on another screen from Walker, though the play was erased by teammate Adam Redmond, who was flagged as an ineligible receiver. It was a nice showing for Pope, but he’ll need to keep it up if he wants to crack the Colts’ 53-man roster.

Chester Rogers reeled in one-of-three targets for four yards Sunday in the Colts’ preseason loss to the Lions.

It was a quiet opener for Rogers, who never clicked with rookie signal-caller Phillip Walker. Rogers is looking to nail down the No. 3 receiver job in Indy but didn’t make a terribly compelling case on Sunday. He’ll hope for a better showing next time out against the Cowboys.

Scott Tolzien completed two-of-five passes for 24 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions Sunday in the Colts’ preseason loss to the Lions.

He was sacked once for a loss of three yards. Tolzien was mostly off the mark, only completing a four-yard screen to Jack Doyle and a 20-yard strike over the middle to Brandon Williams. Tolzien got in and out quickly, playing just three series before giving way to undrafted rookie Phillip Walker. With Andrew Luck’s return date still a moving target, the Colts will surely monitor Tolzien’s preseason reps in case he has to start Week 1.